Ofsted inspectors says secondary school and specialist language college has seri9ous weaknesses

Inspectors from the government’s Office for Standards in Education say the school has serious weaknesses and that pupils aren’t making enough progress, particularly in maths.

But
headteacher Helen Knight has responded, saying the inspectors were using out of date information to paint a much bleaker picture than the reality.

Ofsted inspectors visited the secondary school and specialist language college, in Potters
Green Road, in December, where they sat in on lessons, talked to pupils, sifted through paperwork, asked parents to fill in questionnaires and studied exam results.

In
their newly-published report they say progress in maths has been too low for three years, bright pupils aren’t making enough progress and that the sixth form needs to improve.

They
criticise teachers for not checking whether pupils are understanding lessons, and for not planning lessons to suit all abilities.

School
policy of entering pupils early for GCSE also comes under fire – with inspectors saying it doesn’t give brighter pupils enough time to get the
highest grades.

There is some praise for the school as well. The report says teaching assistants are good at their jobs, teaching is improving, bullying hardly ever happens and pupils who don’t speak English very well get good grades. It
also says the school cares well for vulnerable pupils.

Mrs
Knight said: “Areas for improvement have been identified based on historic data. What they are saying is that historically there has not been enough progress from key stage two to four (from 11 to 16) particularly in maths.

“I think there is a national debate about whether Ofsted is fit for purpose. If you only take the data into account it would be very difficult for some schools to come out with anything other than a judgement.

“Some of the young people at the school are very cross about this report. There are inconsistencies within it.

“We know what we have got to do and we want to get the very best outcomes for the young people are our school.”

Coun
Dave Chater, Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for education, said: “The city council is working with Cardinal Wiseman School on a school improvement plan following the Ofsted inspection.”